Aired: July 20, 2018

Fighting on Two Fronts

This series was made possible by a major grant from The National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor. For more information about the NEH and its programming, visit www.NEH.gov.
Special thanks to Wesley Abney, William “Bogie” Holland, Eric Fox, Ron Ritter, and Newport News Shipbuilding for their support in making this series.

Marine Staff Sgt. Percy J. Price leads his platoon on an operation in Da Nang, Vietnam in 1967. In 1960, Price defeated famed boxer Muhammad Ali, then-Cassius Clay, in the 1960 Olympic trials. A career Marine, Price remained in the Marine Corps instead of pursuing a professional boxing career. He went on to complete two tours in Vietnam. Marine Corps photo

The army that served in Vietnam was one of the most racially diverse America had ever fielded. But though the U.S. military was highly integrated, the charged racial politics of the home front often seeped onto the battlefield. Through personal narratives and expert comment, we explore what it meant to be a person of color fighting in the American forces.

For the indigenous peoples of America and Vietnam, participation in the Vietnam War was often complicated. In the highlands of Vietnam, the indigenous Degas or Montagnards fought alongside American soldiers, but were abandoned when the war ended. Plus, we hear the testimony of a Native American veteran who fought for the U.S. on foreign soil.

Discussion

2 Comments on “Fighting on Two Fronts”

In Part 3: African Americans in the Armed Forces, Mike Flournoy talks about joining CORE and attending Alabama A&M in Huntsville, Alabama. Huntsville African American History Project has created a YouTube channel called “Voices of HAAHP” with samples from our digital oral history collection, including Ivy Joe Milan: Pipeline to Vietnam: “I got into a lot of trouble, you know. Matter of fact, when I went in the Army, I was in trouble. I was headed to prison or either to Vietnam.”

I thank you for doing this show. I never thought I would hear anything approach this level of truth on the radio. I would argue it was even more so than you told. I am so glad some of the truth is finally being told.

I was a corpsman (medic) and I am an old white guy, but I saw and know the truth of what you are telling